On October 15, 2017 during a Jubilee campaign rally in Nyeri County just days before the repeat presidential election, President Uhuru Kenyatta while reacting to news that then National Super Alliance (NASA) supporters had attacked Bondo Police Station in Siaya County, warned that the government would not allow anarchy to set in.
Two days earlier, then NASA leader Raila Odinga had withdrawn from the repeat poll citing lack of faith in the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Comission (IEBC) to deliver a free, fair and credible election.
Last year’s presidential election had divided the country into two, campaigns were awash with hate speech while envoys were struggling to rein in on the political class to tone down on their political rhetoric.
That was then, at the moment, Deputy President William Ruto who stood next to Uhuru as he was making the pronouncement in Nyeri has seen the country’s political equation re-jigged, he has now had to contend with a handshake between President Kenyatta and Raila which has unified the country.
During the first day of the visit to Raila’s political bastion, Uhuru launched the pilot program of The Universal Healthcare Coverage (UHC) in Kisumu County among other projects including presiding over the groundbreaking of the Ahero Interchange.
At a stopover in Ahero, Uhuru aloof his official vehicle, repeated the stance that corrupt individuals would not allow corrupt individuals to hide behind their tribes as the war on graft heats up.
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“A thief is a thief, whether they are Kikuyu, Kamba, Luo or Taita we will not allow anyone to hide behind their tribe as a way to discredit the fight against corruption,” said a resolute President Kenyatta.
The comments elicited cheers from the crowd but it is the same comments that have irked DP Ruto’s political lieutenants including Nandi Senator Samson Cherargai who opine that the war on corruption is targeting the Kalenjin community to derail Ruto’s 2022 State House ambitions.
“We have seen imagination, weaponry, lack in good faith and a political witch-hunt to create and set an agenda of 2022 succession politics,” Cherargai told journalists on December 11.
On the other hand, President Kenyatta branded Raila as the man to unite Africa much to the excitement of the crowd. The three stood aloof their vehicles to form an axis. Ruto watched on as what would have been deemed unthinkable one year ago unfold.
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Going forward this means that the Nyanza Region which has been overlooked by past regimes in terms of development will benefit from the unity between President Kenyatta and Raila.
However, Ruto’s call not to ‘politicise’ the war on corruption has no political backing even from the man he worked tirelessly to get re-elected.
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